Hotel Palazzo Zichy

Across from a small courtyard with flowers, trees, and park benches, the hotel is in a classic stone building from the 19th century. Inside, the lobby of the Hotel Palazzo Zichy is a mix of old features like carved stone and marble stairs, and new, edgier features including a sleek front desk with a metal frame and shiny black lights overhead. Guests can enjoy a free coffee or tea in the lounge area with pearly cushioned chairs and gray tables. The Internet room has four flat-screen computers on a large gray desk and two more laptop computers on a side table. Breakfast is served in an exposed dining room (guests in the room above can look down into the space) with glass features in the floor and a large skylight overhead.

The hotel is set on the Pest side of the Danube, across the street from a small square home to leafy trees and a stature of the Hungarian aristocrat, Zichy. The convenient downtown location offers access to plenty of restaurants. Vaci Street, a famous pedestrian street full of shops and cafés, is a 17-minute walk away and the Danube River is a 15-minute walk. Castle Hill in the medieval part of the city can be reached in about 30 minutes on public transportation. St. Stephen’s Basilica is a six-minute drive (or 10 minutes on public transport). Budapest Airport is less than a 30-minute drive or about an hour ride via public transportation.

Rooms are stylish at the Hotel Palazzo Zichy, with matching gray headboards, closets, and desks. Red nightstands and chairs add a pop of color, and patterned bedding and wallpaper create a sophisticated feel. Big, wall-mounted flat-screen TVs with satellite channels, minibars, and free Wi-Fi are standard. Suites have extra large windows, and some have balconies overlooking the street. Bathrooms are modern with glass shower stalls with rain showerheads, and patterned wall coverings in dark tones. All rooms are pleasantly quiet -- even those facing the street.

The hotel serves a breakfast buffet with salad, cold cuts, olives, fruits, and juices. Coffee, tea, and mineral water is available in the lounge daily. There’s a small fitness center with a treadmill, exercise bike, hand weights, and free bottled water. The hotel also has a wellness center with colorful tile walls and mod white chairs -- it includes a sauna and an elegant massage area with stone floors. An Internet room with six computers is available, as well as a meeting room with red carpeting and a black table. Airport transfers and parking are available for a fee. The hotel can help guests book city tours and dinner cruises on the Danube.